University of Maryland's Center on Policy Attitudes
Director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland and Editor of the website World Public Opinion; co-author of Misreading the Public: The Myth of a New Isolationism
Tax Cuts and the National Debt Since the days of Ronald Reagan, it's been an article of Republican faith that cutting taxes liberates money for the business investments that create jobs and increase prosperity. This day, when income taxes are due, is a good time to ask if that's true. Raising taxes has been anathema in Washington for 30 years, but the national debt has raised fears across the political spectrum. A new study shows even Tea-Party Republicans might be willing to pay more.
Today's Taxes and Tomorrow's Financial Problems On tax day, nobody wants to talk about paying more but, despite the Republicans' 30-year line in the sand, that may be unavoidable, and it won't be just the richest Americans. The national debt is too big for them to do it alone. New polls surprisingly show that Democrats, Independents and Republicans are so worried about the national debt they might be willing to see an increase in taxes. Most important of all, they want everybody to pay a fair share.
The Presidential Campaign Goes Global Barack Obama's trip this week has been choreographed for the cameras: the meetings with kings and prime ministers; the helicopter over-flight with the commanding general; the prayer at the Western Wall; and, of course, yesterday's address to 200,000 people in the heart of Berlin. But could saturation coverage of Obama produce a backlash? Is it presumptuous for a rookie Senator to act like a head of state? John McCain says he'd like a big crowd in Germany, but not until he's President . But McCain has also campaigned in foreign countries, albeit with fewer cameras. Both candidates want to demonstrate they have what it takes to handle new global realities with strength and diplomacy. Has Obama gone overboard? Many voters care deeply about the rest of the world, but what the tradition of American exceptionalism?
Iraq Study Group Releases Report All ten members of the bipartisan panel say Iraq is sliding toward chaos, but that all is not lost. They recommend some dramatic changes, including moves President Bush has resisted, such as direct diplomacy with Iran. They want the primary mission of US forces to be training Iraqi troops, so that American combat soldiers can be withdrawn. They put a heavy burden on the Iraqis themselves to restore order and government services. Have they provided a "better way" to accomplish the President's goals or a formula for the "graceful exit" he's already rejected? We get details of the Iraq Study Group's recommendations and debate their merits.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.